


Kicking the hobbit.

by glanmire



Series: Company. [3]
Category: The hobbit peter jackson movie
Genre: AU, Canon Divergence, Gen, Slow Burn, Thorin is really angry, also on my fanfiction account, kili and Fili are little shits as usual, like serious rage anger here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 19:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glanmire/pseuds/glanmire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili and Fili find Bilbo's ring, and the wrath of Thorin ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kicking the hobbit.

Kili knelt down beside the sleeping hobbit, whose mouth was half open as he dreamed, probably of vegetables and his garden, knowing him.

"Our master Baggins has been hoarding gold!" he declared, in not-quite-a-whisper, but as quietly as he could manage, picking up the ring that had slipped from between Bilbo's fingers and tossing it to Fili.

"Like a dragon he is!" Fili laughed as he caught the ring, flicking it from hand to hand.  
"Show me that," Thorin growled in the way that only he could, but the brothers were having far too much fun.  
"We've burgled the burglar!" Kili explained, delighted at his own wit.

Fili nodded in agreement, and tossed the ring up one more time. He intended giving it to Thorin then, really, but instead of catching it in his palm like he wanted to, it slid neatly onto his finger instead, which was odd. Fili was deft and had never fumbled with anything before.

Before he had time to contemplate that however, he went blind.

Not utterly blind, he realised quickly, calming himself and blinking rapidly, but his surroundings were dimmer and seemed less tangible than before.  
"Fili!" his brother cried out in apparent anguish. Thorin had drawn his sword and was rousing the others, most of whom had managed to sleep through the whole affair.

Fili didn't know why they were so panic-stricken, but gathered that it was related to this ring business. He didn't like the impaired vision or the feeling of weightlessness anyway and pulled it off his finger in one swift movement, and just like that, the world returned to its usual colourings and he swore he felt his ears pop in relief too.

"Brother!" Kili called out, his relief palpable, and went to embrace him, but Thorin held him back.

"Until we know what foul sorcery is at play here, do not lay a hand on him." he said uneasily.

By now the other dwarves had stirred enough to realise there was something deeply wrong, and a few of the more wary ones had hands softly touching their weapons. Fili didn't like the way they all looked at him so accusingly.

"Well, what did you see? I went half-blind, is that not what happened you?", he asked, trying to keep his tone light.  
"No." Thorin said, laconic as ever.At Fili's blank look he elaborated somewhat.  
"You vanished, as though cloaked by some dark magic."

Kili mouthed the words 'can you do it again?' from behind Thorin's back.

Fili gave a tiny shake of his head. Better not provoke Thorin any further until this sorry business was over with.

"Well I'm fine, honestly, no harm done, so let's all calm down a little shall we?" He smiled, putting on false bravado, but the other dwarves did not lower their weapons. He tried a different tact.

"It's Bilbo's ring, he must know what's going on."

A dozen or so dwarves turned in unison to stare at Bilbo, who was standing near the back of the group looking sheepish.

"Nope, didn't have a clue it did anything mysterious, sorry," Bilbo replied in such an unconvincing manner that Kili burst out laughing, only to be silenced by a look from Thorin.

A terribly tense atmosphere ensued, and no one seemed quite sure how to act. Thorin slowly seemed to become aware that it was up to him to rectify this, and he began to bark out orders.

"Dori, Nori, quench that fire. Bifur, Bofur, go fetch some more water." He paused, having ran out of mindless tasks almost as soon as he'd started.

He sighed. "The rest of you, just leave. Yes, you too Ori. Now." he said sternly to the crestfallen dwarf, who seemed oddly invested in this little dispute.

Kili and Fili looked like they wanted to linger, but he waved them away too. He would scold his sister-sons later for their childishness, but first, he had to have stern words with the hobbit.

"No, not you Baggins," he said to Bilbo, who had been trying to sneak away unseen.

Baggins. That sounded clumsy. Master Baggins was far too formal for his liking, and they were not at ease enough yet to call each other Thorin and Bilbo.

Actually, the hobbit had called him Thorin, many times.He bristled at the memory, trying to discern whether it was a deliberate affront or whether the hobbit was simply trying to be amiable.

"Look Thorin," Bilbo started, and there it was again, that casual lack of regard to his titles, the impudence of it. "There's a long story with that ring, and it's all rather pointless-"

"You will explain. Now."

It was a command, and he stared the hobbit down, willing Bilbo to protest, because then he would have plently excuse to hit him.

He didn't feel this rage all the time, but it flared in him now and again, and he could viscerally imagine kicking the hobbit; and how his boot would connect with that beardless, obscene face, and how he would feel the bones break beneath his boot, watch the blood spurt from the hobbit's nose and hear his pathetic whimpering, his pitiful cries. He would smell the blood for a long time, even after washing soles of his boots until the water stopping running red.

His imagination covered all five senses, and it didn't worry him at all. His temper and his determination were what would get his people back to Erebor, and if one hobbit had to bear the brute of it, so be it.

Bilbo's eyes were downcast, but he must have found some courage on the forest floor, for he looked up again, sudden steel in his eyes.

"Fine. When we were in the goblin's tunnels, I managed to escape."  
"You mean you abandoned us?"  
"No- no I had intended on a rescue attempt, but a goblin caught me and we fell."

Bilbo paused for a moment and Thorin imagined the long fall, past all light and chance of escape, down into the gaping maw of the earth, to be consumed by unseen things that lived in darkness. Such a death was deserved by deserters, traitors, he reminded himself, and the hobbit was of those, for leaving them.

"The fall killed the goblin, and this other creature found him and ate him, I think. No that's wrong, the goblin fought a bit, but then he died, yes, and um-"

Bilbo was flustered and his voice faltered a bit.

Thorin was reminded that the hobbit was unused to the death of his enemies, and still probably mourned the loss of life instead of celebrating victory. How quaint. How weak.He gave Bilbo another stern look, and the hobbit pressed on.

"So I found the ring, and picked it up. I don't really know why, it just- I don't know. The creature came back, and it was mad, delirious, trying to be friends with me one moment and eat me the next."Here Biblo looked at Thorin pointedly for no discernible reason and then continued, "We had a game of riddles and-"

"Riddles?" Thorin asked. Bilbo looked up again. "Yes, yes riddles. If I won, he would have to show me the way out, and if he won, he would get to eat me."

"And would you honor your word?" Thorin asked. Bilbo looked at him uncomprehendingly.

He tried again. "If you lost, would you be content in letting the creature eat you?"  
"No!" Bilbo said, and then paused."No, I suppose I would have fought, but it didn't come to that."  
"Why should you expect others to honor their word if you have no intentions of doing the same?"  
Bilbo looked aghast, as if to say: did you want me to just sit there and let him eat me?  
Thorin wanted no such thing, but the hobbit could do with a lesson in keeping his word. His expression was also amusing, truth be told.He let Bilbo mumble for a few moments and then said, "Continue with the story, if you would."

The hobbit blinked heavily, and let out a breath. "Right, well that was about the end of it. I won, but he still tried to eat me. He paused again, and looked at if he had something to say about keeping your word, but pressed on. "I escaped, with the help of the ring, and sought you out immediately. So no, not a deserter, not really." "What do you mean, with the help of the ring?" Bilbo shrugged. "I surmised that is what happened Fili, wasn't it? It makes the wearer invisible. He disappeared, didn't he?"

Thorin did not like to dwell on that fleeting moment of panic he had felt; that Fili had died and he had not been able to save him, died for no more than a mountain, not even. He also hated any sort of enchantments. They seemed too Elvish, too- fruity for his taste. But this ring went beyond simple illusions. This was black sorcery, and in that moment, he wished Gandalf were still with them, just for some advice from someone he least had begrudging respect for.

On top of that again, he hated the hobbit, so his mood was foul as he outstretched his hand.

"Give it to me" he decided as he spoke, and knew it was the right course of action. "I would keep it in my possession until we meet with Gandalf again and we can discuss it further then."

Bilbo looked enraged by this for unfathomable reasons, as if he didn't agree at all with Thorin's decision. Thorin was used to the hobbit's quiet complaints, but open defiance was something new. He waited. They stared at one another.

The ring was in his hand after a few seconds. Bilbo turned to go, looking oddly deflated. Thorin called after him. "Bilbo," he said, the name still sounding awkward and ungainly on his lips.

The hobbit looked back."What?" He asked, clearly exhausted and ready to move on from this sorry business, as was Thorin.

"I thought better of you than to get involved in sorcery like this. It seems like I was mistaken."

Bilbo stared at him soundlessly as he passed by, their conversation clearly over, and if it seemed that the hobbit crumpled a little in the moonlight, and seemed smaller than he had before, well then Thorin paid no heed. Traitors deserved such.


End file.
